Top 14 L&D Leaders to Follow in 2026
The L&D leaders you follow shape how you think, build, and grow. The right voices push your practice forward—challenging assumptions and offering ideas you can actually use. I've pulled together the most influential thinkers in the space: the practitioners, strategists, and innovators driving learning forward. Follow them to stay sharp, stay relevant, and bring better thinking back to your team.
Top 14 L&D Leaders
Below are the profiles of the top L&D leaders, covering who they are and the impact they've made in this space.
Josh Bersin
Josh Bersin is a global industry analyst and CEO of The Josh Bersin Company. His research and advisory work examines HR, talent, workplace technology, learning, and organizational change.
His research explores learning…
Josh Bersin is a global industry analyst and CEO of The Josh Bersin Company. His research and advisory work examines HR, talent, workplace technology, learning, and organizational change.
His research explores learning and development, skills, talent practices, HR technology, and the future of work. Through the Josh Bersin Academy and his analysis, he helps HR and L&D leaders connect workforce development with business transformation.
Laura Overton
Laura Overton is an L&D researcher, author, and founder of Learning Changemakers. She has more than three decades of research into workplace learning, innovation, and business impact.
Overton established the Towards Maturity…
Laura Overton is an L&D researcher, author, and founder of Learning Changemakers. She has more than three decades of research into workplace learning, innovation, and business impact.
Overton established the Towards Maturity Benchmark and co-authored The L&D Leader with Michelle Ockers. Her evidence-informed work explores L&D strategy, capability, learning innovation, and how learning teams can create stronger business value.
Donald H Taylor
Donald H Taylor is an L&D researcher, advisor, and longtime chair of the Learning Technologies Conference. His experience spans workplace learning, technology, and professional practice.
Taylor created the annual L&D Global Sentiment…
Donald H Taylor is an L&D researcher, advisor, and longtime chair of the Learning Technologies Conference. His experience spans workplace learning, technology, and professional practice.
Taylor created the annual L&D Global Sentiment Survey and wrote Learning Technologies in the Workplace. His research and speaking track shifts in learning technology, AI, skills, and the evolving priorities shaping L&D teams worldwide.
David James
David James is Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning and a people development leader with more than 20 years of experience, including senior talent and L&D leadership at The Walt Disney Company.
James…
David James is Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning and a people development leader with more than 20 years of experience, including senior talent and L&D leadership at The Walt Disney Company.
James hosts The Learning & Development Podcast and teaches a digital-first approach to L&D. His work pushes learning teams to diagnose business problems, use data, modernize learning practices, and focus on performance rather than simply producing content.
Michelle Ockers
Michelle Ockers is founder and Chief Learning Strategist at Learning Uncut, where she helps L&D leaders build stronger learning strategies, operating models, capabilities, and business impact.
Ockers co-authored The L&D Leader with…
Michelle Ockers is founder and Chief Learning Strategist at Learning Uncut, where she helps L&D leaders build stronger learning strategies, operating models, capabilities, and business impact.
Ockers co-authored The L&D Leader with Laura Overton and founded the Learning Uncut podcast. Her work gives L&D teams practical ways to align learning with business needs, strengthen their operating models, and demonstrate meaningful value.
Megan Torrance
Megan Torrance is CEO and founder of TorranceLearning, where she leads workplace learning design and engineering. Her work spans learning strategy, technology, data, performance, AI, and analytics.
Torrance created the LLAMA agile…
Megan Torrance is CEO and founder of TorranceLearning, where she leads workplace learning design and engineering. Her work spans learning strategy, technology, data, performance, AI, and analytics.
Torrance created the LLAMA agile approach for instructional design and has written books on agile, learning analytics, xAPI, and AI implementation. Her work helps L&D teams apply disciplined experimentation, data, and emerging technology to learning challenges.
Dani Johnson
Dani Johnson is co-founder and Principal Analyst at RedThread Research, where she studies human capital practices and technology after leading Learning and Career research at Bersin, Deloitte.
Johnson researches learning, skills, careers,…
Dani Johnson is co-founder and Principal Analyst at RedThread Research, where she studies human capital practices and technology after leading Learning and Career research at Bersin, Deloitte.
Johnson researches learning, skills, careers, people analytics, performance, and HR technology. Her work helps talent leaders make sense of changing workforce practices and technologies through independent, data-informed analysis.
Whitney Johnson
Whitney Johnson is CEO of Disruption Advisors, an author and leadership thinker whose work on personal disruption and the S Curve of Learning connects individual growth with team and company growth.
Through…
Whitney Johnson is CEO of Disruption Advisors, an author and leadership thinker whose work on personal disruption and the S Curve of Learning connects individual growth with team and company growth.
Through books including Smart Growth and Disrupt Yourself, Johnson gives leaders a framework for understanding how people learn, grow, and navigate change. Her work links development, coaching, leadership, and organizational capacity for change.
Marc Effron
Marc Effron is President of The Talent Strategy Group, a talent management advisor and author. He works globally with companies and institutions to strengthen talent and performance practices.
Effron co-authored One Page…
Marc Effron is President of The Talent Strategy Group, a talent management advisor and author. He works globally with companies and institutions to strengthen talent and performance practices.
Effron co-authored One Page Talent Management and founded the Talent Management Institute at UNC Kenan-Flagler. His science-based approach emphasizes simpler talent processes, stronger leaders, and development practices tied to organizational performance.
Nigel Paine
Nigel Paine is an organizational learning author, researcher, and consultant whose work spans learning culture, leadership development, technology, organizational change, and workplace performance.
A former head of Learning and Development at the…
Nigel Paine is an organizational learning author, researcher, and consultant whose work spans learning culture, leadership development, technology, organizational change, and workplace performance.
A former head of Learning and Development at the BBC, Paine writes and teaches about organizational learning, collective intelligence, learning culture, and leadership. His work encourages L&D leaders to build systems that help whole organizations learn and adapt.
Kevin Kruse
Kevin Kruse is founder and CEO of LEADx, a leadership development company that uses behavioral science, microlearning, coaching, and technology to help organizations build stronger managers.
Kruse writes extensively on leadership development…
Kevin Kruse is founder and CEO of LEADx, a leadership development company that uses behavioral science, microlearning, coaching, and technology to help organizations build stronger managers.
Kruse writes extensively on leadership development and designs approaches that move learning beyond one-off training. His work explores behavioral nudges, AI-enabled coaching, microlearning, and sustained practice to help leadership habits stick.
Lori Niles-Hofmann
Lori Niles-Hofmann is co-founder and Senior Learning Strategist at 8Levers, bringing 25 years of experience across learning technology, strategy, data, skills, and organizational transformation.
Her work examines how L&D can use data,…
Lori Niles-Hofmann is co-founder and Senior Learning Strategist at 8Levers, bringing 25 years of experience across learning technology, strategy, data, skills, and organizational transformation.
Her work examines how L&D can use data, AI, performance support, and learning technology more strategically. She wrote The Eight Levers of EdTech Transformation and challenges learning teams to redesign systems around context, trust, and business needs.
JD Dillon
JD Dillon is an author, speaker, advisor, and frontline enablement specialist with 25 years of experience across operations, talent development, technology, learning, and workplace performance.
Dillon wrote The Modern Learning Ecosystem and …
JD Dillon is an author, speaker, advisor, and frontline enablement specialist with 25 years of experience across operations, talent development, technology, learning, and workplace performance.
Dillon wrote The Modern Learning Ecosystem and The Frontline Enablement Playbook. Drawing on his experience in frontline jobs and with global organizations, he helps learning and HR teams use technology and ongoing support to help employees do their jobs better.
Dieter Veldsman, PhD
Dieter Veldsman is Chief HR Scientist at AIHR and a Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, combining organizational psychology, HR leadership, research, and professional education.
Veldsman leads research and learning…
Dieter Veldsman is Chief HR Scientist at AIHR and a Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, combining organizational psychology, HR leadership, research, and professional education.
Veldsman leads research and learning programs that help HR professionals build future-ready capabilities. His work spans HR operating models, people analytics, AI, employee experience, skills, and the changing expectations placed on HR and learning leaders.
Selection Methodology
I selected the leaders on this list based on their relevance, demonstrated expertise and impact, professional credibility, and ongoing contributions to the field.
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I look for evidence such as leading meaningful initiatives or delivering notable results within their organizations, developing influential ideas or practices, publishing research or educational resources, speaking or teaching, and other contributions that demonstrate impact within their work or the broader field.
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